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Fight scenes bring excitement to SCAD production of 'The Three Musketeers'

Photo by Matthew McCully

Everyone loves a good fight.

“The Three Musketeers,” as staged by the Savannah College of Art and Design performing arts department, has plenty of fight scenes. Students are mastering the art of stage combat to put on a really good show.

Learning sword fighting is good for a budding acting career. “We are training them for the regional theater circuit,” says Martin Noyes, a SCAD faculty member who is choreographing the fight scenes. “Sword fighting is a crucial marketable skill that will get them hired.

“For a young student in acting, it is intoxicating and exciting,” he says. “I teach Stage Combat 1 and II for undergraduates and Stage Combat for graduate students.”

Stage Combat is a required course in the performing arts department and is especially important for women. “The reason is because in this economy in the entertainment world, there are half as many jobs for twice as many women,” Noyes says.

“This gives them a real marketable edge, plus the personal pride. What empowers them is the success of making art.”

The swords look very real. “The blades are weighted metal,” Noyes says. “These are dull, but it will hurt if they hit each other. Instead of fighting with a knife, they are fighting with a spoon.”

It’s all about the art of illusion. “Houdini was famous for using misdirection to make an elephant disappear,” Noyes says.

Work on “The Three Musketeers” has gone exceedingly well, Noyes says. “The students were so enthusiastic, they started rehearsing before the term started while we were still on Christmas break,” he says.

“It took about a month to get everyone up to speed to a place where everyone felt comfortable,” Noyes says. “The primary goal now is safety.”

The play is being directed by Sharon Ott, artistic director of the SCAD department of performing arts. “It’s a great story,” she says.

“I’d heard of this adaptation at the Bristol Old Vic about five years ago. It has been produced in U.S. regional theaters, including the one I ran in Seattle.”

“We teach French classical theater, so this is a good fit. For the production design people who are looking for design opportunities involving various periods of time, this is great.”

The stage combat element has brought some challenges. “When you do a play that has fighting, you have to have a fight call before every performance,” Ott says.

“This one is 45 minutes, so it takes a lot of time. There is danger involved, but it’s a wonderful challenge.”

The play is suitable for ages 7 and up, Ott says. “We’re really excited to have families bring their kids to this,” Ott says.

“It’s not often you see this performed with such fine costumes and sets and 45 minutes of stage combat,” she says. “There are only four performances, but there are 1,200 seats in the Lucas.”

SCAD performing arts student Adler Roberts, who plays D’Artagnan in the production, thoroughly enjoys the stage combat. “It takes me back to when I was playing ice hockey,” he says. “It’s very exciting and rewarding, as well. It’s fun to create the illusions of hand-to-hand combat.”

A former sound design major, Roberts, who originally is from Overland Park, Kan., has switched to performing arts. “I really enjoy the stage combat element, as well as classical theater,” he says.

“It’s not every day you get to play an immortal character,” Roberts says. “D’Artagnan is the essence of youth and courage.”

IF YOU GO

What: “The Three Musketeers”

When: 8 p.m. Feb. 28, March 1 and 2; 3 p.m. March 3

Where: Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St.

Cost: $25 adults. A special $50 family package is available March 1-3 for the show, which includes two adult tickets and two tickets for children under 18